Do delayed prescriptions reduce the use of antibiotics for the common cold?
Arroll B; Kenealy T; Kerse N Dept of General Practice & Primary Health Care, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92109, Auckland, New Zealand. b.arroll@auckland.ac.nz OBJECTIVE: To test the use of a delayed prescription compared with instructions to take antibiotics immediately in patients presenting to family physicians with upper respiratory tract infections (common colds). STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled single-blind study. POPULATION: Subjects were 129 patients presenting with the common cold who requested antibiotics or whose physicians thought they wanted them. All patients were in a family practice in Auckland, New Zealand, consisting of 15 physicians (9 male, 6 female) who had completed medical school between 1973 and 1992. OUTCOMES MEASURED: Outcomes were antibiotic use (taking at least 1 dose of the antibiotic), symptom scores, and responses to the satisfaction questions asked at the end of the study. RESULTS: Patients in the delayed-prescription group were less likely to
